Te'o was 'naive' and 'unlucky'

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers,Manti Te'o. Teo drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers,Manti Te'o. Teo drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers, Manti Te'o. Te'o drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers, Manti Te'o. Te’o drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers, Manti Te'o. Te’o drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers,Manti Te'o. Te'o drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon..
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

The newest players to the San Diego Chargers,(from left) D.J. Fluker, Manti Te'o and Keenan Allen. The three players were introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon. .
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers,Manti Te'o. Teo drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon..
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

One of the newest players to the San Diego Chargers,Manti Te'o. Te’o drafted in the 2nd round was introduced to sports reporters at a press conference held at Chargers Park Saturday afternoon..
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T SAN DIEGO

You, however, may want to read Ned Zeman's article about the duping of Te'o, and in turn, the duping of sportswriters, ESPN, and their respective audiences. It's a gem. Alas, we don't hear from Lennay, Te'o's late fake girlfriend, and there's only rehash from Ronaiah Tuisasosopo, the creepy perpetrator of the hoax.

We hear from Manti's father, Brian. He explains, and not without logic, all those articles and interviews in which Manti's relationship with Lennay was described in false detail.

Brian says, “Manti didn’t give reporters that information. I did. And I told them because that’s what Manti told me. And he told me that because he was afraid to tell me he’d never met Lennay in person. He thought I wouldn’t approve. And I’m not a father you want to disappoint.

"In the end, he didn’t lie to anyone except me."

We also hear from Manti, who, in the immediate aftermath of the hoax's revelation, "dealt with it by being very mad" and "is still mad sometimes," but, in the end, isn't blaming himself. He was "naive" and "just unlucky."

At a different point, the 22-year-old says: “You have someone you love die. And you find out the person isn’t real—that it’s all a big prank. You still go through the feelings of losing that person. The relationship, to me, was real. The illness, the accident, her dying—these were all real to me. So my feelings about them were real."